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Inscriptions: Epitaph of an anonymous military commander by his comrades

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Identification

Reference as: MPL01626
Title Epitaph of an anonymous military commander by his comrades
Trismegistos-No. 556676

Object

Provenance and Location

Find Place Aquileia
Find Context Aquileia (Udine), church of St. Felice and St. Fortunato, 1774. Then taken to Gravisca, near Tarquinia (Viterbo) in the collection of baron De Fin, 1826.
Latitude 0.0
Longitude 0.0
Current Location Lost
Inventory number
Current Location Details
Vicinity

Object Details

Object Type sarcophagus
Material local stone
State of Preservation complete
Dimensions

width: unknown

height: unknown

depth: unknown

Letter Size in cm (min) 0.0
Letter Size in cm (max) 0.0
Execution Technique chiselled
Religion Unknown

Decoration

Decoration and Iconography
Decoration Tags

Verse Layouts

Text

Function funerary inscription
Language(s)
  • Latin
Verse Type(s)
  • Dactylic pentameter
  • Dactylic rhythm
  • Other
  • iambo-trochaic rhythm
Rhythmisation Quantitative scheme

Inscription & Translations


DEBITANONOPTATADIESIVVENILIADVENITAETATI
CVMMERITISGAVDERETSVISQVEOLIMLABOREQVAESIIT

TVNCDESERTVSDVLCEESTCONIVGALIVINCVLO
ACPOSTNONMAGNOETCRVDELITEMPORE
5EORVMFATADVRAECONIVXERVNTCORPORA

VNOIACENTAMBONONTOROSEDTVMVLO

NECREMISERESALTEMSVBOLEMQVIMEMINERITSVOS

QVODNONQVIDEMSOLISNECNVNCPRIMVMCONTIGIT
OMNIBVSSEMPERSVISFVITCARVSAMICVS
10HICDVCENAEDIGNITATEINTERLECTOSMERVERATVIROS
HVICCONTVBERNALESSVIIDCONTRAVOTVMPOSVERVN

FORSQVIINTE`N´DITDOLEATSEDSICSEFATAFEREBANT

Debita, non optata, dies iuvenili advenit aetati.
Cum meritis gauderet suis, que olim labore quaesiit,

tunc desertus dulce est coniugali vinculo,
ac post non magno et crudeli tempore
5eorum fata durae coniuxerunt corpora.

Uno iacent ambo non toro sed tumulo,

nec remisere saltem subolem qui meminerit suos,

quod non quidem solis, nec nunc primum contigit.
Omnibus semper suis fuit carus amicus.
10Hic ducenae dignitate inter lectos meruerat viros.
Huic contubernales sui id contra votum posuerun<t>.

Fors qui inte`n´dit doleat, sed sic se fata ferebant.

Debita, non optata, dies iuvenili advenit aetati.
Cum meritis gauderet suis, que olim labore quaesiit,

tunc desertus dulce est coniugali vinculo,
ac post non magno et crudeli tempore
eorum fata durae coniuxerunt corpora.

Uno iacent ambo non toro sed tumulo,

nec remisere saltem subolem qui meminerit suos,

quod non quidem solis, nec nunc primum contigit.
Omnibus semper suis fuit carus amicus.
Hic ducenae dignitate inter lectos meruerat viros.
Huic contubernales sui id contra votum posuerun<t>.

Fors qui inte`n´dit doleat, sed sic se fata ferebant.
Apparatus

l.2 reg., orig. que
l.3 reg., orig. dulce
l.5 reg., orig. durae | reg., orig. coniuxerunt
l.7 reg., orig. remisere | reg., orig. qui

Text follows G. B. Brusin 1993.
l.5, "du[m] raeconiunxerunt" (reg., reconiunxerunt) reconstructed by Mommsen in CIL 05.

Main Translation

Translation The established day, not the desired one, has reached a young age. When he was rejoicing of his merits, which he once sought with effort, he was then abandoned by the sweet bond of marriage, and after a not so long and harsh time, Fate has united their stiff bodies again. They both lie in the same place, not in a nuptial bed but in a grave, and they did not leave behind even a single child who would remember them, which surely did not befall them alone, nor for the first time now. He was always a dear friend to all his loved ones. He served with the rank of ducenarius among specially chosen men. His comrades put this up for him against their wishes. Whoever casually turns their attention to this monument, may they grieve, but this was what Destiny decided.
Citation Fabio Spalla

Other Translations

Prosopographical Information

  • GenderMale
    Age RangeAdult (21–60)
    ProfessionMilitary staff
    RoleDedicatee

Further Information

Comment

Dating proposed by L. Cigaina in EDR145482. G. Masaro and L. Mondin propose a later date between the 4th and the 5th century A.D., though without criteria.

Squeeze

Have Squeeze? no

Dating

Date (From) 251 AD
Date (To) 400 AD
Date (Criteria)
  • archaeology
  • history

Bibliography

Images

Editing History

Created 2025-05-09, by Eric Andreas Kunz
Work Status Confirmed
Import Notice Imported from Epigraphic Database Roma at 2024-08-22T15:19:04, ID there: EDR145482
Revisions
  1. by Unknown
    at 2024-08-22 15:19
  2. by Eric Andreas Kunz
    at 2024-11-26 16:27
  3. by Anna Pokorny
    at 2025-02-04 16:13
  4. by Fabio Spalla
    at 2025-05-07 10:13
  5. by Fabio Spalla
    at 2025-05-07 10:16
  6. by Fabio Spalla
    at 2025-05-07 10:18
  7. by Chiara Cenati
    at 2025-05-09 08:47
  8. by Chiara Cenati
    at 2025-05-09 08:47
  9. by Chiara Cenati
    at 2025-05-09 08:47
  10. by Chiara Cenati
    at 2025-05-09 08:47
  11. by Chiara Cenati
    at 2025-05-09 08:47
  12. by Chiara Cenati
    at 2025-05-09 08:47
  13. by Chiara Cenati
    at 2025-05-09 08:47
  14. by Chiara Cenati
    at 2025-05-09 08:52
  15. by Chiara Cenati
    at 2025-05-09 08:53
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